Dispositional and situational empathy in Parkinson's disease and their relationship with cognition

Findings show that PD affects empathy unevenly: dispositional empathy is preserved, but situational empathy declines with cognitive impairment. This suggests that empathy deficits depend on task complexity and overall cognitive status, not just isolated functions. Since situational empathy requires real-time processing of emotional and contextual cues, it is especially sensitive to cognitive decline. These results highlight the need for comprehensive assessments to reflect PD's neurocognitive variability.